YouTube Blog

August 28, 2008  |  Posted by: The YouTube Team  |  Permalink

New Captions Feature For Videos

Here at YouTube, we're always trying to find new ways to enrich your viewing experience and to help video creators reach a wider audience. As part of this goal, we've added a new captioning feature which allows you to give viewers a deeper understanding of your video. Captions can help people who would not otherwise understand the audio track to follow along, especially those who speak other languages or who are deaf and hard of hearing.

You can add captions to one of your videos by uploading a closed caption file using the "Captions and Subtitles" menu on the editing page. To add several captions to a video, simply upload multiple files. If you want to include foreign subtitles in multiple languages, upload a separate file for each language. There are over 120 languages to choose from and you can add any title you want for each caption. If a video includes captions, you can activate them by clicking the menu button located on the bottom right of the video player. Clicking this button will also allow viewers to choose which captions they want to see.

Some of our partners have already started using captions to offer you a better understanding of their videos (even with the audio turned off):

- BBC Worldwide: captions are provided in five different languages on this clip from Top Gear.
- CNET: tech product reviews from CNET's Crave blog.
- UC Berkeley: footage from the Opencast Project Open House.
- MIT: full lectures on subjects like Physics.
- Gonzodoga: English subtitles on this awesome Japanese animation.

We hope captions will serve to tighten the YouTube community by bringing together international users from different cultures.
We're excited to see what kinds of fun and creative uses for captions you'll be coming up with for your videos!

For more information about how to use captions, visit this page.
The YouTube Team


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Comments

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mirxax (4 days ago)
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majka3333 (5 days ago)
Nic z niego nie rozumiem !
majka3333 (5 days ago)
Czemu to objaśnienie jest napisane po angielsku ?!
BoogsterSU (5 days ago)
What's a Closed Caption file or what does it look like?
08ati (1 week ago)
´´´´´´´´´´´´´´´´
trixzieciahibi (1 week ago)
how can i make my own video clips?
35231616 (1 week ago)
oi rsrs
PNFDIC (1 week ago)
Embedding a video with CC works great, but when I put together a playlist and then embed the playlist, the CC is no longer available ... is this a bug?
DeepPurpleRocks (1 week ago)
aaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaa bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb
HowToAttractWomen (2 weeks ago)
gotta love it!
eduardcaraballo (2 weeks ago)
Vale mas callar y parecer ignorante q abrir la boca y crear la duda....
manjhara (2 weeks ago)
all right,how could i get this closed caption app?
noeliadelmar (2 weeks ago)
hfghngnhgfh
jazziean (2 weeks ago)
How can you delete a song on your profile?
stepwid (2 weeks ago)
Två inspelningar redigerat windows moviemaker lagda över varandra skapade Fake-Echo
CVYFESCA (2 weeks ago)
uuu i love meself watch ufo filmed in california goes terribly wrong
jaime12311981 (2 weeks ago)
para ti con cariño
tavoada (2 weeks ago)
uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu no se como poner subtitulos jeje pero sta chida la funcion por lo q he visto chidooo
targetniches (2 weeks ago)
Cool. I like using captions in my videos, thanks for the info.
DANATENS (2 weeks ago)
AND ..WHAT HAPENS WITH THE SPANISH ?? I WONT TO READ SPANISH !!!!
10000000000050000030 (3 weeks ago)
me gusto lo que escuche
starwhoresrecords (3 weeks ago)
I'm so bored.
starprincess1952 (3 weeks ago)
My YouTube used to come in English, now all of the writing is in Spanish, which I do not understand! How do I get it back to English? Thanks!
madtv11111 (3 weeks ago)
hhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelll lllllllllllllllpppppppppp
ruskinoklub (3 weeks ago)
I've been working in the subtitling industry for a few years now and I was wondering if YouTube was planning to offer subtitle services. If yes, I'll be glad to offer you my services
meks68x (3 weeks ago)
hhshshsshshsh
RockstarStore (3 weeks ago)
YAY finally get to see a real working one.
blackxqsatan (4 weeks ago)
YSUUF PAPA
13stylez (4 weeks ago)
damn i think this function only offical users like Bbc use, because some1 who just uploud videos about games and some musicvideos don't need it xD
jutikevindamian (1 month ago)
CVYFESCA (1 month ago)
how ya doin
45hot (1 month ago)
i have problem struggle with close caption upload. there not work in upload put on hour is not yet suppose get in media through. can you fix this close caption upload new set it up any idea? im tired of now! please fix this! (sightful)
ataloss2008 (1 month ago)
One more thing, I've reported this person to INS, US marshalls, and local authorities, she has several fake ID's and even works under someone elses name..any suggestions on who to contact???
ataloss2008 (1 month ago)
i'm trying to figure out why our law enforcement officers here in Lexington, Ky. side with a woman who is illegal in this country, put an EPO out on me for false allegations she makes, then after being in court, she goes and puts a warrant on me, falsly accusing me of "assulting" her..I'm the one who gets arrested, I'm the one to go to jail..is that how a US citizen gets treated in this country?? Side with an illegal ailen..How do I stop this????HELP
howmakemoneyonline (1 month ago)
Sounds like a great update. As always the tube keeps improving an already great service!
mark0876h (1 month ago)
http://scribd.com/people/docum ents/5098128/folder/53519
soussiegaladome (1 month ago)
nl aub
zhangyoufu1 (1 month ago)
看不懂!
keatonmyers (1 month ago)
English: Ep1
Cimbolic (1 month ago)
And, by the way: You guys have done a tremendous job. Thank you very, very, much!
Cimbolic (1 month ago)
And, by the way: You guys have done a tremendous job. Thank you very, very, much!
Cimbolic (1 month ago)
It would be great if the Captions were exposed to assistive technologies through the YouTube Player API. Any plans for this?
pataplush (1 month ago)
do you know how important you're for those new times ?. it's like to be in an enormous library whose books, when opened, have more and more books. A wonderful work guys !!!
salimb132008 (1 month ago)
salim abdlkader-b13
turiones (1 month ago)
buenazo
gkcilt (1 month ago)
videooo
ogloptube (1 month ago)
wow,!!! i love you guys, it's a tremendous help for a foreigner like me learning MIT open course ware mathematics. I'm teaching myself 18.06 linear algebra. and some video lectures were recorded well, the sound quality is poor. You are my life saver !!!! Only a minor glitch is the same videos on Itunes store don't have subtitles, and i'm wondering if i can download these srt subtitles and combine them with the m4a files i subscribed on itunesStore? if that would be possible how? thank you .
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cl5120 (1 month ago)
抱歉 不懂英文
bluhyourface (1 month ago)
i dont now how to edit my my profile for youtube. help me please
u235men (1 month ago)
hello!evryone!
u235men (1 month ago)
你好
YouuMusicc (1 month ago)
niezłe ;]
lucho12345678 (1 month ago)
mmm
GOOSEYGOOSE9 (1 month ago)
I like to really see it in the closed captioned.
tocijoe (1 month ago)
si dove installa con sottottitoli televisore italiani e inglese si puoi aggiumgere i sottotitoli !!!!
scroccaro (1 month ago)
come si fa ad aggiumgere i sottotitli
tanmirthhhhhhhhh (2 months ago)
hhhhhhhhhh of best
sharenow3 (2 months ago)
Wow!!! The embedded caption is the feature I desperately been waiting for. Thank you so much! Question, how do I search for another caption video on Youtube to test it in my blog?
qmutz (2 months ago)
YAY finally get to see a real working one.
janaya24 (2 months ago)
My Video didn't date up ?
francofuentesaracena (2 months ago)
Subtitles is a great idea for foreing language speakers, it makes only one copy of a video, but with diferent subtitles =) BUT, i'd like them to do not have that black transparent frame... it looks ugly, and other sites already have it without. Thanks for this ;)
boudokaido (2 months ago)
hhh
sundougie04199 (2 months ago)
please help me hear and see
sundougie04199 (2 months ago)
it is not funny nor is it denigrating it is a handicap
sundougie04199 (2 months ago)
what do i do
sundougie04199 (2 months ago)
i am slightly deaf and blind
natachapoggio (2 months ago)
thanks for making youtube a more inclusive community!
Ulianot (2 months ago)
Subtitles option is great. What YouTube need to do more is to inform viewers better that there are subtitles for choosen video. Small "CC" box shortly appearing in the right corner, at the start of video, is good notification but people don't know what is that "CC"; there should be something more understandable like "Choose Subtitles" or "Choose Captions". Also, there should be option that user can translate the video of other users. There are great videos but maybe authors are not interested to upload the subtitles. Also we need the option to correct "YouTube Translate Beta" translations, like on Google Translate; to have a option to suggest or correct wrong translated words or sentances. Thanks for the innovations, especially for "Translate Beta" option, it makes life easier now :)
Ulianot (2 months ago)
Subtitles option is great. What YouTube need to do more is to inform viewers better that there are subtitles for choosen video. Small "CC" box shortly appearing in the right corner, at the start of video, is good notification but people don't know what is that "CC"; there should be something more understandable like "Choose Subtitles" or "Choose Captions". Also, there should be option that user can translate the video of other users. There are great videos but maybe authors are not interested to upload the subtitles. Also we need the option to correct "YouTube Translate Beta" translations, like on Google Translate; to have a option to suggest or correct wrong translated words or sentances. Thanks for the innovations, especially for "Translate Beta" option, it makes life easier now :)
radiantguy (2 months ago)
I've uploaded some subtitles of a video I made earlier in both original language (which is Arabic) and my translation of it in English but I am not sure how the other languages sounds like because I don't speak any LOL
DmitrySeos (2 months ago)
commentaries english...
macnkids (2 months ago)
Why di you have the right to stop posting messages to a muslim video?? Muslims were able to respond, but NO one else?? How can you do that? In freference to this video...http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=BxzOu_gD54U Miracles of Allah, I would like to address the fact that I see, proof of the 3 in 1 triune God...Jesus...not Allah...but the only accepted post concern those who agree with them? Doesn't that negate what you guys are all about? Isn't this reverse discrimination??
casawlabalak (2 months ago)
gg
SUPERPANETTA (2 months ago)
loko men .
reyesito2526 (2 months ago)
como decirte no si me bailas en los cesos
qeeondamaan (2 months ago)
I dont understand how tu use it :S
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AREMON10 (2 months ago)
aa
Pist0ns (2 months ago)
i upload my video i don't understand how to add closed caption.
abelardoviray (2 months ago)
this is helpful to us all who wants to communicate to our friends and relatives even where distant away. thanks to new technologies that keeps on changing and making our life easier.
kristyna9899 (2 months ago)
g
CdisturbedC (2 months ago)
how to?!
PatHawkscom (2 months ago)
Now to combine YouTube captions with Google Translate :D I think this will be killer when (not if) you turn on speech recognition and caption everything automatically.
AVDULAI (2 months ago)
actually taking the time to caption .. PS. TIME is MONEY
MariahBicudo (2 months ago)
homem feio po
msimion24 (2 months ago)
23 august 2008 nunta mimi
periodicvideos (3 months ago)
Hi, we're putting English and Spanish captions on an increasing number of our chemistry videos... Hope yo guys will activate this feature on embedded videos soon!
Danka2324 (3 months ago)
ну как у тя дела?
ravenez0 (3 months ago)
I wish people would stop spamming here...
synchrimedia (3 months ago)
Mac users can download a copy of MovCaptioner to help them easily create the .SRT caption file that they can upload to YouTube. URL is: http://www.synchrimedia.com/
BedededeII (3 months ago)
amazing
KamiesseeFaulkner (3 months ago)
Add it Already!
Xiaopang3333 (3 months ago)
finally...took you long enough to implement it, but how come it doesn't work on high res-vids and only on their low res counterparts??
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vikingscool (4 months ago)
Great news! I am proud of Youtube supporting deaf and hard-of-hearing community!
radiantguy (4 months ago)
This is a great way to bridge the world's countries...I've seen that feature before in google video and it works well even with embed videos you can see samples in my blog at http://blog.radiantguy.com/200 8/09/youtube-subtiltes.html
americannamor (4 months ago)
Great feature, but why place the subtitles so high in frame?
codeman38 (4 months ago)
Are there any plans to enable this feature in the embedded player as well? As it currently stands, captions can only be seen if you link through to the YouTube page; they don't show up in videos embedded elsewhere.
Felix2994 (4 months ago)
Look into this! http://www.playrequiem.com/pro mo/index.html?fbid=EK8me !!
brianbotkiller (4 months ago)
That's cool, but it still relies on users actually taking the time to caption their videos...
DavidBaute (4 months ago)
Nice :)
publicidadeninternet (4 months ago)
Great improvement! I was using annotations to subtitle my videos, but this new feature will improve traffic for all You Tube Videos. Thanks for all the great work!
vhanla (4 months ago)
AWESOME, that's a great feature, now deaf people can enjoy some videos too. Is there any feat that allow any user to contribute to another's video subtitle?, I mean a way to download an specific subtitle so translation could become really easy and fast. That way almost anyone could add another language subtitle or correct an existant one. Of course granted by the owner, that way spam, or other kind of incorrect use could be avoided.
Broker1808 (4 months ago)
k
CommentOnBlog (4 months ago)
Good idea, but doesn't work for me on any of the advertised video. Tried on Windows XP with SeaMonkey 2.0a1pre, Flash 9,0,124,0 Debug and FF 3.0.1, Flash 9,0,45,0.
alebeu (4 months ago)
Hey, i'm from Brazil and I subtitle a vídeo from CQC Brazil, a Honesty Test! And I like what i Saw! Her the link: ?v=xM7fs_J9J2g
alebeu (4 months ago)
Hey, i'm from Brazil and I subtitle a vídeo from CQC Brazil, a Honesty Test! And I like what i Saw! Her the link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=xM7 fs_J9J2g
cressbad (4 months ago)
Embeds don't seem to work?
stummjr (4 months ago)
congratulations! it's a great feature, to improve the usability of youtube to deafs and foreigners who can't understand some languages!
avidlurkviewer (4 months ago)
You should add the possibility to the people to translate and add captions to the videos of other people, as a Wiki, then it would be helpful. Not all people knows to translate... :/
TubeCaption (4 months ago)
At Tubecaption.com we have been supporting captions and subtitles for youtube videos. You TubeCaption has an editor easy to use for adding your subtitles or you can also import from an srt file.
sammyQc (4 months ago)
Great new feature, hope more and more vids gonna use this for deaf, i8n and people who just want to read :)
cressbad (4 months ago)
What's weird - I haven't been able to make any of the cc videos play. I see them load completely, see the first caption, and they stop playing.
cressbad (4 months ago)
Yes! Great! I wish you could add captions to others - but maybe they'll accept my files. Can you search for videos that have been captioned?
googletube (4 months ago)
i cant think of a comment so i wont make one
thewinekone (4 months ago)
I wish I was "first." :(
slightlyperfect (4 months ago)
Oh, and when I wrote "how to do this," I meant "how to add captions."
slightlyperfect (4 months ago)
If anyone needs to learn how to do this, you can always check out the following tutorial: http://www.dcmp.org/caai/nadh2 04.pdf
basscrowdead (4 months ago)
Sounds cool. It really does. But I have some bones to pick with Youtube and I don't know where else to pick them. So here they are. (1) The account drop menus kinda suck. I think they could be displayed more logically. (2) Wrong messages displayed on homepage bug has still not been resolved. (3) Certain account and playlist settings are not saved after logging off. (4) Will there ever be a search feature for custom playlists and favorites? (5) Saved videos descriptions are not as descriptive as they used to be. i.e. They don't depict the user who uploaded the video and video unavailable messages anymore. (6) Unable to open saved videos in new tabs. Ok...I'm done typing.
basscrowdead (4 months ago)
Sounds cool. It really does. But I have some bones to pick with Youtube and I don't know where else to pick them. So here they are. (1) The account drop menus kinda suck. I think they could be displayed more logically. (2) Wrong messages displayed on homepage bug has still not been resolved. (3) Certain account and playlist settings are not saved after logging off. (4) Will there ever be a search feature for custom playlists and favorites? (5) Saved videos descriptions are not as descriptive as they used to be. (i.e.) They don't depict the user who uploaded the video and video unavailable messages anymore. (6) Unable to open saved videos in new tabs. Ok...I'm done typing.
CelebrityLove (4 months ago)
What an awesome idea.......Why did it take so long to think of it.....It will be so useful!
KOHPelord (4 months ago)
I know this was somewhat of a requested feature, so I hope it works out.
airricksreloaded (4 months ago)
That function isnt working for me. I have tried it several times only get a blank page.